Bush 'turned blind eye to Iraq deals' (For a Patriot -- See Analysis Below)

This Is London ^ | 17 May 2005 | Patrick Sawer, Evening Standard

[Cornpone]

George Galloway arrived in Washington today to rebuff accusations that he profited from Iraqi oil sales as a Senate investigation found that the US government turned a blind eye to millions of dollars of sanctions busting.

The Bush administration knew about the illegal oil sales and kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime but did nothing about them, according to a report from Democrats on a Senate committee.

The report found that US oil purchases accounted for 52 per cent of kickbacks paid to the regime in return for sales of cheap oil under the UN's food for oil programme - more than the rest of the world put together.

The scale of the shipments is understood to dwarf those alleged to have been made by UN staff and European politicians such as Galloway and the former French minister Charles Pasqua.

Mr Galloway, the newlyelected MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, has demanded an apology from the Senate subcommittee-which has named him as a beneficiary of Iraqi oil allocations. Mr Galloway, who overturned a 10,000 majority to win the seat for the anti-war Respect party, arrived in Washington yesterday and immediately demanded an apology from the subcommittee for what he called their "schoolboy dossier" against him. He said: "It was full of holes, full of falsehoods and full of value judgments that are apparently only shared here in Washington.

"I have no expectation of justice. I come not as the accused but as the accuser. I am going to show just how absurd this report is."

The new report accuses the Bush government of failing to take action against a Texas oil company which facilitated payments of "at least $37 million in illegal surcharges to the Hussein regime".

It also states that the State Department and the US military agreed to the shipment of nearly eight million barrels of oil bought by Jordan outside the Oil For Food programme.

It was not clear whether the Democrats' report would be accepted by the Republicans on the committee. The Pentagon declined to comment.

[ClaireSolt]

That Galloway makes John Bolton look like a silk stocking diplomat.

[Lord Nelson]

Democrats are pulling every trick they can to exonerate their beloved one-worlders in the UN. But in so doing they are dragging the United States down with them.

I was just baiting some Eurotrash and socialists on a Yahoo Forum. The United States is so overwhelmingly despised out there. Which says to me that the US must be then doing something right. But the Democrat response is that we allow these foreign bastards to tell lies about the US just to save face for the UN? Some guy on there who was defending Galloway claims to be a sergeant from the first Gulf War. Well, I would be ashamed of any sergeant who would side with foreigners. America is America for a reason. It built a Republic that was for the people of the Republic - not another nation that was to subservient to the slave houses of Europe.

[Lord Nelson]

I'm sure no one knew who he even was. I didn't until May 5 when he won a seat in England by a bunch of voting rag heads.

But go from here to the Yahoo Forum I was at. Believe it or not in that world, Arafat deserved a state funeral, the Palestinians have never done anything to America, and Galloway is some hero slaying the evil American Congress which should be charged with war crimes.

I am not an American. But from the moment I became politically aware I could never comprehend the lack of self respect and the depth of navel gazing that would cause non-Americas to so despise America. No doubt, America is not perfect and hasn't always made the best decisions. No nation has. Yet America is held up against a standard 10 times that of any other nation. My wife came from Colorado and lives with me here in Canada. I can tell you most Canadians have no class. Numerous people my wife came in contact with slammed America in front of her, knowing she was an American. If I lived in the US as a Canadian I would expect to be treated with some class. In front of me I would prefer Americans not to bash my heritage, unless I indicated that I agreed with their assessment. In conclusion, maybe the rest of the Western World just lacks class?

[Ben Hecks]

If I lived in the US as a Canadian I would expect to be treated with some class.

Based on your comments, I think you would be warmly received in the U.S. should you ever decide to move here. I know two Canadian women here in the U.S., both of whom are active conservatives and display a degree of patriotism unmatched by most native born Americans. I hope you feel welcome on this forum; your participation is appreciated. Should you be interested, there is a sister news forum in Canada at www.freedominion.ca. Best regards, Ben

[Lord Nelson]

Thanks for the welcome. I think there is a conservative speech writer from Canada down there ¡V I can¡¦t think of his name right now. I will wait and see how bad it gets here in Canada first ƒº Other than those that join the Hollywood crowd (M J Fox) I think it is very common to find Canadians in America who are twice the patriots most American liberals are. I think those Canadians want to participate in a free republic that limits the encroachment of government in their lives.

Oh, and yes, I have been to FD. It¡¦s been down for maintenance lately.

Cheers

[MEGoody]

"The Bush administration knew about the illegal oil sales and kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime but did nothing about them, according to a report from Democrats on a Senate committee."

As usual, the Dems accuse without evidence.